I DIDN’T KNOW THAT

The Habit Loop

Did you know that up to 90 percent of your behavior is habitual? That’s right! Up to 90 percent of the things you do are behaviors you perform habitually. In other words, you do them without even thinking about them.

The “habit loop” is the process we undergo to develop all our habits. Our brains start attaching a particular behavior to certain circumstances in our lives, and then, when we reap a physical or psychological reward from performing that behavior, the brain remembers those nice feelings and prompts us to perform the same action the next time the circumstances are similar. So over time this process becomes subconscious and starts to impact every aspect of our lives. It is vital, therefore, for a person to develop good habits, because habits shape a person’s daily experiences. Then all those days run together to define that person’s life.

Most of us are aware of our bad habits, because our bad habits cause problems for us. But the habitual nature that God gave us when he created us is not intended to be a bad thing. It is intended to be a good thing, because, if a person can develop bad habits, that person can develop good habits too. So the hopeful news is that the habitual nature God gave us can be utilized to help us form the habits we need for success.

You probably already have as many good habits as bad ones, but you probably don’t notice your good habits because you perform them without realizing what you are doing. But if you were able to develop those good habits, you can develop more good habits. You can trick your own brain into helping you nurture the kinds of behaviors you want in your life, behaviors that will lead to health and happiness, behaviors that will lead to a fulfilling life.